


Shatter

by Echidnux



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Character Death, Other, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-08-04 14:47:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16348724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echidnux/pseuds/Echidnux
Summary: This is a companion piece to The Scoundrels of Virtue, and the two should be read in tandem.Zurin is an aide to the demon king Demise, but his destiny takes him out into the world and leads him to incredible people. He will learn what it means to be human, in all its beauty and suffering.





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a companion piece to The Scoundrels of Virtue. Each part should be read after its corresponding part in The Scoundrels of Virtue is read (for example, read part 2 after finishing part two of Scoundrels).

Today was the big day.

Zurin had been preparing for this for months now. His master Demise had personally tasked him with the creation of his next weapon, and failure was not an option. Not only was his life on the line, but so were the lives of everyone underneath him. He had never cared about stepping on people to get his way, but now it was no exaggeration that he would stop at nothing to achieve the results he wanted.

And now, those results were looking promising indeed. Zurin was on the cusp of creating something entirely unprecedented… a new primordial spirit.

Given its connection to the aetherial, a primordial spirit would have access to the raw energies of the magical plane in a way most demons could only dream of. This was more than a vanity project for Demise, though. Primordial spirits also functioned as powerful magical batteries, able to enchant objects with unique mystical energies. Zurin’s master wanted one of these spirits to power his sword so that he would be unstoppable in battle.

Finally, he had discovered a way to bring that power into existence, but at a cost. In order to give the being life, he would have to spark its soul with his own. This would require permanently shattering his own soul and using a shard to awaken the artificial spirit he had created.

Zurin wasn’t sure what the result would be, but he had hopes for one particular side effect. The soul transfusion could, in theory, change him into a human.

Years of research on the relationship between the soul and the body had led Zurin to believe that physical constitution was a mirror of the soul. Human souls made their bodies human, demon souls made demon bodies, and so on. If he could remove the right pieces of his soul, it might cause his body to reconstitute as something more human. It could also cost him his ability to manipulate fire, but he was reasonably sure that wouldn’t happen.

Stepping into the lab, Zurin began preparations for the soul transfusion. In the center of the room was a slab where the lifeless body of his primordial spirit lay. It may have sounded like an oxymoron to give a spiritual being a body, but physical matter would be necessary to manipulate magic effectively, especially since Demise wanted this spirit to be able to defend itself.

The body itself was onyx black, but covered in diamond runes. The runes were in mockery of the Goddess Hylia’s favored triangles, and its face was intentionally modelled after her own artificial spirits. Sleek and cruel, it had all the demonic attributes that Zurin hated so much in himself.

Yes, he hated being a demon. He hated being Demise’s favored scientist. But most of all, he hated being an accident of the goddesses that could think of nothing but destroying the world he never wanted to be born into. And if he had to kill every demon man, woman, and child to undo this curse, he would.

Everything was ready now. The body was technically alive, but its soul was inert and needed the spark. Zurin approached the table and began the spell to shatter his soul.

Intense pain shot through his body, almost bringing him to his knees, but the spell demanded his perseverance, and so he continued. Carefully pulling away the parts of his soul he’d determined would alter his body, he finally separated the shard of life from himself. Pleased, he waited for the alteration of his soul to begin reshaping his body.

But instead of becoming a human, something much worse happened. He gained compassion, but was cold to himself. He gained mercy, but learned to relentlessly abuse his conscience. He gained love, but hated how disappointing the world was. He had gained his human soul, but his body refused to change.

Fear welled up in Zurin’s mind. Demise would kill him for changing his soul like this. He’d kill everyone he cared about, too. His wife, his children… suddenly they meant so much more to him, more than just being symbols of status. He loved them- an emotion he’d never felt before- and he couldn’t bear to lose them.

He couldn’t run away; Demise would just kill his family. The only option was to finish the project and hope for the best. The soul shard was still in his hands. He knew what he had to do.

Plunging the shard into the chest of the onyx spirit, Zurin closed his eyes and prayed things would work out.

There was a flash of light, and then time seemed to freeze for a moment. Then the onyx spirit blinked and looked around. Getting into a sitting position on the slab and rubbing its forehead, it took a moment to collect itself before looking at him.

“Who… am I?” the spirit asked.

It was a fair question, but one Zurin had anticipated. He already had a name for the thing; it was the word demons used for their finest sabers.

“You are Ghirahim,” he replied.

“And you are Zurin,” Ghirahim said back. It seemed that, as Zurin had expected, the soul shard implanted his memories into the spirit. “You must know, then, what your purpose is?” he asked, and Ghirahim nodded.

“I am to be the weapon of Demise, correct?” A wicked smile appeared on Ghirahim’s face. This time Zurin nodded. “I don’t care much for this form…” Ghirahim continued, then snapped his fingers. A flurry of diamonds covered him; when they were gone, Ghirahim looked different.

The new form was not far from Zurin’s own appearance. The spirit wore white and red with a cloth tied around his waist just as he did, but whereas Zurin’s red cloak hugged his body, Ghirahim preferred a hoodless, loose variant. Underneath the red cloak was a tight white shirt and leggings, with white gloves much like his own. Overall, Zurin had to admit his clothes were more ragged and tattered than the spirit’s.

What angered Zurin, though, was that the spirit looked very similar to a demon lord, Zurin’s caste in demon society. Gray skin, purple bags under the eyes… he certainly knew how to look the part. Clearly this arrogant spirit thought itself his equal.

“It is my duty to present you to Demise-” Zurin began, but Ghirahim cut him off. “I’ll present myself, actually.” Zurin was taken aback by this, but never got a chance to object. With another snap of his fingers, the spirit was gone.

Zurin cursed, then turned away from the slab. What had he gotten himself into? Looking up, his eyes met a mirror where he noticed something was off. Peering closer, he could see that his irises under his goggles were no longer black, but now blue like a human’s.

He was one step closer to humanity.

\---

The next day, Zurin was summoned to Demise’s court. He assumed Ghirahim had already made his report to his master, and they would dispense their judgment on his actions. Zurin knew his odds of getting praised were good, but there was no telling what Ghirahim would divulge to Demise.

To be honest, Zurin had always feared Demise as a leader ever since his ‘birth’ a few hundred years ago. Zurin was a first-generation demon lord, magically created by Demise with a hundred or so other demon lords. This was all part of a larger plot to raise an army of demons and monsters so Demise could take over the surface and claim the power of the goddesses.

In that time, Demise had been fond of murder, torture, and cruel oppression as tactics for asserting his dominance over his subjects. Zurin’s wife and biological children had been left untouched by their master so far, but it was no secret that Demise did so out of respect for his usefulness. With his new human soul, Zurin couldn’t bear to think of losing his family to that monster.

Entering the courtroom, Zurin looked up to see Demise with Ghirahim at his side. The king of demons was actually a shapeshifter, and appeared to different people in different forms. Zurin and most demons saw a lean, muscular man even taller than them with flaming red hair. Regardless of form, he always had that fiery mane and an aura of malevolence.

“Ah, Zurin!” Demise called out to him. Ghirahim remained quiet. “I am most pleased with the spirit you have given me. You never fail to impress!”

Zurin kneeled at the foot of Demise’s throne. “I hope you have found his magical energies beneficial to your weapon?” he asked. Looking over to the side of the throne, he saw the sword of Demise emanating waves of magic.

“Indeed.” Demise replied. A strange smile formed on his face… something about it unsettled Zurin.

“How exactly did you form such a potent spirit?” Demise asked, that smile still on his face. Ghirahim matched it now with a mischievous leer. Zurin fumbled for a moment, trying to cover for himself. “I ascertained which parts of my soul would produce the most potent magic… for your benefit, of course!” he insisted, but Demise didn’t look impressed.

“My benefit…” Demise repeated back, “...interesting choice of words.” He got up and, looking down on Zurin, contorted his face into a sneer. “Let me show you the reward for working for… ‘my’ benefit.”

Demise cast a teleportation spell on both of them, leaving Ghirahim behind. Zurin had no idea where they were going, but when the spell ended he was left speechless.

They had arrived in a place littered with jagged mountains and lava flows. It seemed a lot like the underground caverns of the demons, but above them was a vast, deep blue emptiness. Little twinkling lights dotted the expanse, and a large rock floated far above them.

“The humans call it ‘the moon,’” Demise told Zurin. “I remember its creation. The stars as well; those are the smaller lights. I was here for it all…” his mind seemed to wander for a moment. “... I looked upon the dawn of the world, and even though the goddesses never intended for me to exist, I knew that all of this… should be mine.”

Demise turned back to Zurin now. “I have one more thing to show you,” he said cryptically, then cast another teleportation spell. Zurin expected more sightseeing, but instead Demise brought him to a lifeless plateau.

The plateau was littered with bodies. Zurin recognized them almost immediately. They were his family.

Zurin felt incredibly dizzy. His wife, his children… dead. They were all dead. Emotions he could and couldn’t comprehend from his new human soul instantly tore into him. Anger and Fear were old acquaintances, but there were new feelings. A sense of incredible loss… like he’d been stripped of everything he ever cared about.

Something welled up in his eyes, blurring his vision and streaming into his goggles. Was this some other bodily change from his human soul? He hated it, and yet it felt like the pain was washing away in the flood of water.

“They’re known as tears. It’s a product of your human soul,” Demise explained. “Yes, I know about your experiments... Ghirahim revealed everything to me. This is the reward for your blasphemous tampering.” He motioned to all the corpses, Zurin’s family, as if they were some punishment inflicted on a naughty child.

Zurin hated Demise. But it was a special kind of hatred, one that felt like it was borne of all the wrongs the demon king had ever committed. It was more than a thirst for revenge; it was a feeling that Demise had to pay for what he’d done to everyone.

“I will not kill you… consider it a mercy,” Demise explained. Zurin was seething now, but before he could say a word his former master cast another spell. This time, a mighty whirlwind pulled Zurin off his feet and threw him high into the air. Tossed about, he got short glimpses of Demise teleporting away with the bodies of his family before the whirlwind launched him toward the face of a volcano.

Hitting the rock hard, Zurin bounced off a cliff and rolled down into a desolate valley at the foot of the volcano. He didn’t sustain any injuries, as only a blessed weapon or another demon lord could harm his caste, but the trauma still disoriented him.

Zurin got up and surveyed his surroundings, trying to push recent events out of his mind. He was sitting next to a huge volcano whose hill looked climbable with some difficulty. The lava fields below looked too dangerous, and he knew that Demise would be emerging from that area any day now with his army.

The army… Zurin had almost forgotten about his old master’s imminent campaign to take the surface. The plan was to tear the earth open here, then overwhelm the forces of the Goddess with sheer numbers. Getting the primordial spirit was the final step in preparations, so Demise would probably be mustering his forces now.

He had to warn someone. This place didn’t seem hospitable, but surely there was some sort of intelligent life nearby. Zurin had heard tales of underground species that intruded on demon territory… they must live near here! But first, he needed food.

Once again, the lava fields didn’t look promising. It was probably cooler higher up, which meant plants and animals he could eat. There wasn’t any reason to stick around the base of the volcano, so Zurin began his ascent.

Climbing the volcano wasn’t unbearable, but it took energy and time. Zurin noticed that, as he climbed, the sky got brighter and the moon and stars went away. Soon enough, there was a bright light appearing in the distance. He couldn’t look at it for long, so he pulled his hood closer over his head to block the light.

Soon enough the entire world around him was lit up, and Zurin could clearly see the enormity of the volcano. He had a long way to go, but at least he still had a full stomach.

\---

Several days had passed, and Zurin was feeling weary. He still hadn’t encountered anything to eat, nor had he seen intelligent life. He was near the summit of the volcano now, but it wasn’t getting any cooler. The volcano must be radiating tremendous heat.

Pulling himself over a ledge and onto a rock, Zurin gasped for air and tried to wet his parched lips. Although he could teleport, it wouldn’t do him any good to warp past hidden food or water. And he hadn’t memorized the area he’d traversed well enough to teleport back down the volcano. His best bet was to finish scouring the area, then gaze down to find a safe teleportation spot if he found nothing here.

Zurin looked up the hill above and saw something that rekindled his hopes; a building! It looked like a temple from this distance, but he couldn’t be sure. He scrambled for the next cliff, trying to ignore his fatigue. If he could just get a little closer, he could spot a place to teleport and warp next to the building.

Suddenly a rock gave away in his grip and, losing his balance, Zurin tumbled back down the hill. He sat crumpled at the hillside for a moment, trying to regain his bearings, when the hunger pains turned into hallucinations.

Zurin thought he saw Ghirahim dancing on the cliff face. “Curse you!” Zurin shouted, and Ghirahim laughed before disappearing. “I’m going to rip that monster limb from limb…” Zurin muttered to himself. No… this wasn’t real, he had to remind himself that. His wife on the side of the mountain, begging to be saved, wasn’t real. Demise standing at the top of the hill wasn’t real.

The act of climbing was becoming too difficult. Zurin’s hands felt like they were made of lead. The illusions were all laughing at him now, but he didn’t even have the energy to yell at them. With all his might, Zurin tried to stay anchored in place so he could catch his breath.

A great earthquake caused Zurin to nearly lose his grip. Things were fading to white now, but a dragon seemed to be coming out of the volcano. Perhaps it was another illusion? No… the illusions were gone now. A final moment of clarity had come to him. The dragon looked in his direction and let out a roar before Zurin lost consciousness.

\---

The flow of hot air over his face woke Zurin. He no longer felt hungry or thirsty; honestly, he felt better than he had in several days. He opened his eyes, and found himself sprawled out on a stone walkway terminating in a huge door on one side and a pedestal on the other. The room seemed to be empty, so who could have saved him from death?

Getting up, Zurin got a better look at the chamber he was in. Most of it was igneous rock, so he must be deep inside the volcano, but much of the stone was cut and polished into beautiful walls, tiles, and pillars. Volcanic glass had been dyed and forged in some way that must have involved powerful magic, and covered the chamber in a variety of colors and shapes.

Walking onto the pedestal, Zurin could now clearly see that the ‘floor’ beneath the walkway was actually magma. It was a good thing his demon blood couldn’t boil, as this place was probably inhospitable to most life.

A disturbance in the magma caught Zurin’s attention. Bubbles of melted rock breached the surface and he took a few steps back. The magma swelled into a dome, and out of it rose the most incredible being he had ever laid eyes on.

The being had a long, scaly body with a streak of heartscales like glowing coals running down his center. Strands of fire danced on the edges of his red lips like whiskers, and two blazing horns sprouted out of his head. This had to be one of the legendary dragons!

“Oho! Finally awake, I see!” the dragon spoke, full of mirth. “When I sensed magic on my mountain I did not know whom to expect. You are a strange creature!” Zurin looked up at the dragon and could sense incredible power… surely this was the lord of the volcano. “You may call me Eldin,” the dragon continued, “what might your name be? And where do you come from?”

“My name is Zurin, your majesty, and I come from deep underground. I am here to warn the lord of this mountain of imminent danger.” he explained. He then went into detail about the threat of Demise’s army. Eldin twirled his whiskers thoughtfully as he assessed the situation.

“Intriguing! To think a threat to the goddess hid in such a desperate place!” Eldin finally responded. “You did well to seek me out and tell me this information. I am in your debt!” Zurin humbly kneeled and bowed his head. “I am a servant of the goddess, even if she does not know it…” he admitted.

It was weird, wanting to serve Hylia when she didn’t even know he existed. Zurin had studied her, of course, but Demise had always been his master until now. He knew he couldn’t bring the demon king to justice on his own, so it was only natural to join the other team. But would they even want a demon lord?

“Ah, such humility!” Eldin mused. “I believe I could make use of you… if you are willing to enter a covenant?” Zurin cocked his head to the side slightly; he wasn’t sure what the dragon had in mind.

Eldin laughed. “You seem hesitant! Understandable; allow me to explain…” he said. “I will offer you protection, and in return you will serve as my eyes and ears outside the volcano. What say you?”

Zurin didn’t need any more convincing. He had made up his mind the moment he’d been offered a chance to be useful. He nodded his head.

“Excellent!” Eldin replied with a smile. “I strike a covenant with you, demon lord. For as long as you live, you will be under my care and in my service.” The dragon extended his hand, and Zurin took it. Pulses of magic travelled through their arms, signifying the formation of the covenant.

“It is finished,” Eldin said, folding his arms. “You shall remain in the service of Eldin, the dragon god of fire, and I shall in turn grant you asylum from Hylia’s wrath.” Zurin looked up at him and smiled.

“It is good to have purpose again.” He replied, to himself as much as his new master.

\---

It didn’t take long for Demise to begin his invasion of the surface. A few days after the forming of the covenant, the demons broke out of their underground caverns in the lava fields of Eldin, tearing the earth apart in an eruption of rock and smoke. The demon king himself led his forces on a march for Faron, but he wasn’t expecting the resistance he found not far from the volcano.

Zurin’s warning had been passed from Eldin to the other dragons, then to Hylia herself. The six surface races were gathered at the temple to Hylia and armies were formed. When the demons began their assault, each of the races’ armies fought the demons, and with the exception of the humans, they did well. Unfortunately, Hylia’s favorite race did very poorly against the opposing armies of Demise, and so the goddess withdrew what was left of them and preserved them on a skyward-bound floating city.

With the departure of the humans, Hylia was forced to enter the fray herself and attempt to draw Demise into a duel. The demon king was arrogant, and accepted the challenge. Zurin wished he could have been there for that final battle, but Eldin commanded he stay hidden in case Demise should try to manipulate him.

In the end, Demise was defeated, his forces scattered, and Ghirahim went missing in action. Hylia, mortally wounded by Demise, spent her final years planning for the rise of a hero that could finish the demon king off. For Zurin, a new chapter of his life was beginning.

As the agent of Eldin, Zurin travelled the world, exterminating demons and searching for Ghirahim. He didn’t know if he could actually kill the spirit he created, but he could at least keep tabs on him. Unfortunately, he failed to find Ghirahim anywhere on the surface, and he suspected the spirit was hidden somewhere, regrouping Demise’s army.

In the meantime, Zurin learned much about the surface. He studied the geography of the land, the stars in the heavens (he even learned the names of many, including the sun), and the many animals native to this world. Using his knowledge of potion brewing, he used the insects of the surface to fortify his concoctions. Most importantly, he honed his sorceries to new levels and even learned to control the wind as Demise did.

\---

Centuries passed in the service of Eldin. Zurin was starting to think Ghirahim may never appear again, but one day he felt a disturbance in the Faron region. Someone was casting powerful magic, and he could feel it wasn’t one of the dragons. It could be one of the Sheikah, the clan of humans that had stayed on the surface to protect Hylia, but he doubted it. The shadow folk had no reason to cast something this big.

By the time he’d teleported to Faron Woods (he’d learned hundreds of ‘safe spaces’ for teleportation over the years), something was kicking up the winds in the area. Looking up, a great, black whirlwind was tearing at the sky. It could only be cast by a powerful mage… Ghirahim! Zurin reached out with his mind, and indeed he felt the spirit’s presence in the Sealed Grounds.

The winds calmed, and Zurin felt Ghirahim disappear. Something must have scared him off… perhaps the spirit knew he was here? No, Ghirahim would have hunted him down the moment he’d known he was alive. The best course of action was to report to Eldin immediately.

Making a hasty retreat, Zurin returned to the volcano and approached Eldin’s chamber. The dragon god emerged from the lava to greet him. “Ah, you seem disturbed!” Eldin noted “Is something the matter?”

“Ghirahim has resurfaced,” Zurin grimly replied, “he cast a large wind spell at the Sealed Grounds. It broke the cloud barrier under Skyloft.”

Eldin was silent for a moment, lost in thought. Rubbing his forehead, he seemed to be conflicted about something… but what?

“It could be dangerous, but I have no choice. I want you to track Ghirahim.” he finally said. Zurin had to admit, he was surprised his master was sending him on a mission that could expose him. “We’ll eventually run into each other,” he warned. “There’s no telling what will happen when we meet.”

“Alas, we have no choice,” Eldin countered. Zurin nodded, knowing he was right. “I will secretly follow him, then. Shall I take my leave?” he asked.

“Go, and be careful, Zurin. I can’t afford to lose you!” Eldin answered. Zurin nodded and teleported away.

\---

The tracking of Ghirahim wasn’t particularly difficult, but it was interesting. Ghirahim commanded a sizable army now, but it was apparently still insufficient to capture his prey. Zurin wasn’t sure what the spirit was tailing, but they seemed to be protected by some magical force. Perhaps the Sheikah were finally stirring again?

Regardless, Zurin couldn’t confront Ghirahim, but it seemed another person was doing that already. While in Faron, he could sense the spirit was in combat with another person. Not only that, but he was losing. Reaching out telepathically, he could also feel a sudden surge of divine energy.

It reminded him of the goddess Hylia. Why in the world was such an energy surging in Faron?

Then Zurin remembered the springs. Yes! They were said to house Hylia’s powers. Someone with the ability to access those powers must be travelling to them. Obviously, Ghirahim would see this person as a threat and would want to eliminate them, but someone was making that difficult for him.

Aiding whomever was fighting Ghirahim wasn’t an option, as they’d probably try to kill Zurin on sight. The same could probably said for the person guarded by the Sheikah. His best option was to just stay on Ghirahim’s tail and hope someone else came along that wouldn’t kill him. As for where to go… the other spring was in Eldin, so he’d best head there.

Zurin reached Eldin volcano to find the place crawling with bokoblins. These nasty demons would be no threat to him and couldn’t draw Ghirahim’s attention, but they could pose a nuisance to the person on pilgrimage. Zurin decided he could take some time to thin them out.

In the midst of his work, a strange sight caught Zurin’s eye; three figures were descending from the sky into the lava fields. Could this be one of the parties from Skyview Spring?

A scream caught Zurin’s attention; it had come from up above. Looking to the summit, he saw a woman surrounded by bokoblins in front of the temple. Curiouser yet, he could see a Sheikah woman watching the scene intently. The Bokoblins apprehended the woman and dragged her into the temple, and the Sheikah woman followed quietly, shutting the temple gates behind her. Zurin knew the key had been long lost, so there was no opening the gate… what was that woman thinking?

Suddenly the sounds of battle took Zurin by surprise. It seemed that someone down the road was skirmishing with the remaining bokoblins. Searching with his mind, he confirmed that someone was indeed making their way through the bokoblin camps. If someone was fighting bokoblins, it had to be the person that had bested Ghirahim.

He’d gotten careless wiping out the bokoblins and allowed both parties to get the drop on him. He could compensate and check on the third party that had just descended from the sky, but it was probably a better idea to track Ghirahim. Reaching out with his mind, he couldn’t sense the spirit anywhere, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t teleport onto the scene soon. It would be best to sit and wait for Ghirahim to appear, then go from there.

Soon enough, three interesting things happened. First, Zurin saw a man in green running to the temple door with, surprisingly, the key to the gate. He opened the threshold quickly and descended into the temple. The second thing was a surge of magic inside, signalling the arrival of Ghirahim. Finally, he felt another wave of divine energy, suggesting the woman had escaped captivity and accessed the spring with the help of the Sheikah woman.

Curious, Zurin decided to enter the temple and see what was afoot. The man in green had long since gotten deep into the place when Zurin arrived; most of the gates and doors had been opened. Hurrying along, he soon felt another massive spell being cast, only for its aura to dissipate minutes later. The man in green must have fended off some incredible spell from Ghirahim!

Zurin reached the antechamber to the Earthview Spring to find the place empty. However, the three people who he’d seen touch down in the lava fields were nearby. Everyone else had used teleportation magic to leave the spring, so he had no idea where they went. His only option was to meet with the last party and try to cooperate with them. If he didn’t get attacked, he might learn some information about the situation.

It didn’t take long for the third party to reach the antechamber. Zurin leaned back onto the door to the spring, trying to look casual. If he got attacked, he could just teleport away, but he’d rather not be chased off like a monster. His anxiety faded a bit when he saw the three people chasing the man in green were teenage women.

The three girls came to a halt a few feet from Zurin. For a moment they stared him down, so he got up and started walking toward them. When one of them extended a blade to his throat, he decided to stop.

“Friend or foe?” the foremost girl asked. She had blonde hair and deep brown eyes, and was garbed similarly to the man in green, but with a tunic dyed sky blue. The other two wore similar outfits, but one with lavender clothes and the other with red. Was there some sort of adventuring league in the world above sending people down here now?

“That’s an interesting question…” Zurin finally replied. He should probably play it smart to impress these girls. “I could go on for ages about the illogicality of a binary system where everyone is a ‘friend’ or ‘foe,’ but I think I’ll cut to the chase before your point cuts me open.”

The three girls seemed confused, so he resumed his speech. “My name is Zurin, and to put it bluntly, I’m the only demon that doesn’t kill or enslave other people. In fact, I have a deep respect for the children of the goddess!”

Confessing his love for Hylia didn’t warm their hearts, but they still weren’t attacking, so Zurin continued. “As a sign of goodwill, I can join you on your quest. I’m a powerful wizard, so I could be useful in battle. And I know about your friends!” Zurin guessed at their relationship with the last part, but it seemed to work. All three girls looked fairly shocked.

“You know about Link and Zelda!?” the leader asked, and Zurin nodded his head. “The woman and the boy in green, correct? I’ve been trailing them. Maybe if we work together, we can find out where they’re headed next?”

The three girls turned away to deliberate for a moment. Zurin couldn’t hear their mutterings, but he had a feeling they at least realized his usefulness. After a couple minutes they turned back around, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Ok, you have a deal. For now.” The leader told him. “I’m Callia. The girl in lavender is Leala, and the one in red is Byarly. We’re knights of Skyloft!” Callia was obviously trying to impress Zurin with that last remark, so he tried to show respect. “It’s good to see humans learning the art of combat, you’ll need it down here…” he warned them.  
The girls were unfazed. “We’ll cut through a hundred monsters to get our Link back!” Byarly cheered with surprising enthusiasm. Zurin was perceptive enough to tell she had personal motivations for being here.

“Leala, you haven’t said anything to me so far…” Zurin tried to warm up to her, but she took it the wrong way. “I hope you’re not trying to say I’m scared of you, ‘cuz I’m not!” Leala barked defiantly. Zurin was shocked. “I would never think such a thing. You seem like a good person, and a respectable knight.” he assured her, and she smiled.

“You should be thanking me! I’m the one that talked the others into letting you help us!” Leala informed Zurin. He smiled back in gratitude. “I am grateful to all of you! Thank you, Leala, Byarly, and Callia! May our friendship last a thousand years!”

He didn’t know it at the time, but looking back Zurin realized he had made the most important step yet to becoming human. In forming an alliance with the three girls, he had created bonds of trust and kindness that would last the rest of his life.

In human terms, he had discovered friendship. He’d never felt it with his demon soul, but the transition to humanity allowed him to create relationships that enriched his human one. He learned to talk to Leala about her worries, and counseled Byarly on her difficulties with romance.

But Callia was the most important of all. She and Zurin developed a true friendship that endured through the toughest times… and there were definitely great trials ahead. Their relationship would be pushed to its limits, but in spite of it all they persevered. Callia was like a daughter to Zurin, and he truly loved her as much as any father.

If only Zurin had known the pain and suffering those bonds would bring him.

End of Part 1


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part should be read after chapter 20 of The Scoundrels of Virtue.

Zurin spent the next few months travelling with Leala, Byarly, and Callia in search of their friends. The trail was amazingly difficult to follow, as both targets were moving via magic and flight to different parts of the surface, but after scouring for a month they found a lead to the Sheikah Impa, who had last been spotted in the Sealed Grounds. The girls reluctantly admitted Zurin was responsible for them making it this far, and started to respect him.

“Being useful is, thankfully, one of my fortes,” he boasted. The others seemed to like it when he sarcastically prided himself, so he took many chances to lighten the mood that way. Byarly and Leala let their guard down around him, but Callia remained cold as usual.

“Let’s just ask this old woman if she knows Impa…” she said dismissively, then pushed open the doors to the Sealed Grounds Temple. Zurin grunted and followed her inside.

The interior had changed from how Zurin remembered it. There was an enormous gear in the center of the chamber, with two partially-obscured smaller ones giving it motion. The gears were covered in runes, but even more interesting were the obfuscations of the smaller two. Somehow, they phased in and out of sight as they rotated, as if they were on the edge of this world and another.

“What in the…” Leala whispered, but Callia held a hand up to her mouth as the old woman of the temple hobbled into view. Zurin was faintly acquainted with her, and so decided to step forward and speak for them.

“Madame of the Sealed Temple, I trust you remember me. I am on a quest for two sky children, and we believe you may know a lead we are seeking.” The old lady smiled in her usual warm way. “Yes, you are looking for Link and Zelda, correct? I can tell you their location.”

Byarly approached the woman eagerly. “Please, we need to find Link!” she said, then seemed to falter. “Zelda too, of course.” Leala and Callia snickered but said nothing. “Any information you can give us on the two would be beneficial, yes,” Zurin continued, “But Impa may be able to divulge things you do not know.”

He was trying to be polite, but the old lady paused as if taken aback. Zurin worked up an apology but was stopped by the next confession the woman made.

“You may not know this, but I am in fact the Impa you seek.” she revealed. All four of them were shocked, since they’d been told by others that Impa was a young lady, but when he thought back to the gear in the temple Zurin knew this woman was telling the truth.

“Yes, I used a gate of time like the one you see here to travel from the past,” Impa explained. “Link and Zelda have used this one, and while the hero has returned to this time, her grace has sealed herself in the past. There is nothing you can do to awaken her.”

Zurin groaned audibly. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to do anything about Zelda for his friends, but Link…

Suddenly there was a horrible earthquake that shook the foundations of the temple. Callia drew her sword, but Zurin knew the source and beckoned her to put it away. “We need to leave. Right this instant.” he told them, then cast a teleportation spell on his allies to bring them to the nearby forest. Spinning around, they began to berate him.

“We need to fight something if it’s attacking the temple! Send us back!” Leala demanded, but Zurin refused. “You are brave knights, but you can’t hope to kill Demise…” he informed them. Leala and Byarly continued to object, but Callia held up her hand and they stopped. “If Zurin says we can’t fight him, then I trust him.” she told them bluntly.

Eventually they finally got a look at the enemy, and even Zurin was unsettled. Demise had turned into a mass of scales and teeth, more than capable of escaping if not for the efforts of two men who seemed to be fighting him. The girls identified one as Link, and the other as another Skyloft knight. Thanks to their efforts Demise was sealed again.

“That’s what a Knight of Skyloft can do!” Byarly cheered. The others were just as relieved to see the threat taken care of, and wanted to go see Link, but Zurin refused. “He is more than capable of protecting himself. We need to focus on stopping Ghirahim now.” he reasoned, and all three eventually came around. Byarly glared at him darkly as he whisked them to Eldin Volcano, but he didn’t ask why.

That night Zurin was sitting with his back to a rock, his eyes closed, when the sound of sobbing nearby got his attention. He looked around and saw Leala and Byarly were gone, so he left Callia sleeping and went to find the others. It didn’t take long for him to discover Leala comforting Byarly in a nearby cave.

“You!” Byarly shouted when she saw Zurin. “You’re just like everyone else! You don’t want me to be with Link either, do you!?” he had no idea what to say, but Leala tried comforting her again. “He didn’t know, Byarly, you have to let it go…” she assured her, but the crying girl was having none of it.

Grinding her teeth, Byarly looked at Zurin with disdain. “You’re smart, you could tell that I came here to rescue Link. Just to… just to show him that I like him!” she spat. “Even Leala here figured it out, and she’s a witless dolt if I ever knew one!” 

Leala shrunk back from her friend. “Byarly, that’s-”

“Shut it!” Byarly yelled, then turned away from her. Leala gave her a nasty look, then ran back to camp. Zurin would have to fix this alone.

“Byarly…” he started, but faltered from hesitation. How was he supposed to fix this? He didn’t know what it was like to love someone. True, he mourned his old family, but they were dead by the time he’d learned to feel something for them. Byarly was in love with someone alive.

Suddenly, a strange feeling washed over Zurin. He felt as if somehow, he’d learned exactly what he needed to do and say to comfort Byarly. Nobody had told him this information, but he felt like he’d been given it as a gift by… something else.

Zurin sat down next to Byarly, who kept her back to him and continued sobbing. “Feelings can be awful, can they not?” he asked. She didn’t answer, but stopped sobbing for a moment, which he took as a sign to continue. “Demise killed my family, and I still miss them dearly. I do not know why, as they certainly never loved me, but I would give almost anything to see them again.”

“That’s how you feel about Link, correct? That he probably will never share your affections, but you want to save him anyway?” He said. That seemed to strike a chord with Byarly, who turned around and sat down next to him. “He’s more interested in saving Zelda…” she muttered, faintly bitter. “In the Academy he always spent time with her. I think he loves her, but I don’t know why. She’s weak and frail, not his type at all… he deserves a brave girl like me!” With the last word she pounded her fist on the wall. Zurin decided to choose his words carefully.

“Fate can be very cruel…” Zurin consoled her. “Neither of us are getting what we know we deserve. However, you need to realize something important,” he said, and Byarly stared at him. “You have friends that care about you. Do not abandon them to mourn what you cannot have.”

Byarly looked down, but didn’t cry again. Zurin stood up. “Take time to grieve, then make amends with Leala. I will see you in the morning.” he waved goodbye, then left Byarly in the cave.

On the way back, Zurin found Leala venting her frustrations by hacking away at an abandoned bokoblin watchtower. She glared at him, then went back to her therapeutic assault. “Byarly is doing better now, thanks to our efforts.” Zurin assured her, but she didn’t even look his way. “Good for her.” she said venomously without skipping a beat.

“Being a friend is hard,” Zurin told her, “but the best friends forgive and move on. This is your chance to bring the group back together by forgiving Byarly, do not fail us!” His advice exhausted, he returned to camp to find Callia still sleeping. Deciding to follow suit, he sat with his back against a rock and drifted off.

\---

Byarly and Leala became inseparable after that night, and both began to trust Zurin heavily over the next week. Callia still respected his wisdom, but kept him at arm’s length.

“We’ve been scouring Eldin for days now, when are we gonna find this Ghirahim?” Leala groaned. “Leala has a point, perhaps we are searching in the wrong place?” Byarly pointed out. Zurin sighed, then turned back to them. “Yes, I suspect he is no longer here. The demons have abandoned Eldin, probably for a final push against Link and his allies. The only other place they would amass is…” he trailed off, realizing the mistake he’d made. Ghirahim didn’t need to defend Eldin, he needed to attack the one place his master… Zurin’s former master… was imprisoned.

“We need to get to the Sealed-” Zurin began, but a flying dagger caught him from behind and lodged in his shoulder. It disappeared, but left a wound that left his right arm limp. A chilling cackle told him who’d thrown it.

Ghirahim appeared out of thin air in front of them. “You’ve grown feeble, Zurin!” he teased. The girls drew their weapons, but they had little chance against him. “Ah, your friends are adorable! Really, though… keeping company with hylians!? You’ve fallen a long way from Demise’s number two!”

Callia, Byarly, and Leala stared at Zurin in confusion. He didn’t like where this was going… but he’d known this day would come eventually. This would be the end of him anyway, so it wasn’t a major problem.

“That’s right, ladies, Zurin was a big deal in his day!” Ghirahim revealed. “Why, he even made me for his old pals! Out of his own soul, can you imagine?” Zurin could feel the blood boiling in his body as sparks formed in his good hand. His friends were no longer staring at him with concern, but anger.

“Hmmm, so by my count, you’re a mad scientist, a traitor, and an abomination with a shattered soul. You ladies need to pick better allies!” Ghirahim let out another nasty laugh, but not for long. Zurin’s spell was complete, and he unleashed its full force on Ghirahim.

A geyser of flames shot forward from Zurin’s left hand. It was powerful enough to drain Ghirahim’s strength, but couldn’t harm a spirit’s artificial body. Worse, it would probably tire his own body as well, probably killing him, but it was worth it. His friends shouted at him to stop, but he had to keep going. Despite everything, he cared about them.

The flames continued for about a minute, Zurin checking telepathically to see if Ghirahim was still alive and able to fight. The artificial body had long run out of strength, but he was going to keep this up a long as possible, just to be sure. Eventually, though, he was taken by surprise when Callia and the others started pummeling him, begging him to stop. Over-encumbered by their pleas, he stopped and collapsed to the ground.

Ghirahim was still there, but he’d exhausted his strength protecting himself. He tried to summon a sword, but only got a shimmer of magic before collapsing. “You… filth… why can’t I kill you!?” he roared. Slamming his fist into the ground, he got an even nastier surprise when everyone looked up to the sky and he followed their gaze. An enormous rock was descending on Demise, and when it touched down an overwhelming wave of darkness signalled the end of his life.

“No… no… NOOOO!” Ghirahim shouted, then disappeared in a flash of diamonds. Blood loss and exhaustion was taking Zurin now, but he smiled as he realized that he hadn’t died for nothing. Demise was gone, and there was nothing Ghirahim could do about it.

“How’d he get away?” Byarly asked. “Teleporting uses only a little energy... as long as you avoid being drained by an attack...” Zurin explained. Everyone looked back at him, and the anger returned to their faces. It broke Zurin’s heart, but he barely had the energy to make amends. “So sorry… I was afraid… please… forgive…” he struggled to finish, but everything went black.

\---

When Zurin came to, he was surprised to find he was breathing. His right arm was still injured, but with his left he moved his hand to his neck and felt his pulse. Weak, but getting stronger.

He tried to get up, but a hand held him down. Turning his head, he saw Callia was looking at him sadly. When he tried to speak, she shook her head and tears appeared in her eyes. He remained silent and let himself drift back to sleep.

Waking up the next morning, Zurin felt much better, at least physically. Moving his right arm hurt, but he didn’t feel any wounds re-opening, so he gently flexed it from time to time for therapy. The camp was uninhabited at the moment except for him, so he got up and started to look for something to eat.

“Glad to see you’re not dead!” a voice called out. Zurin looked around and saw Leala and Byarly approaching him with some food they’d apparently foraged. They seemed unusually cheery, given that they’d looked so angrily at him the other day when Ghirahim had revealed his origins.

“We thought you weren’t going to make it…” Leala confessed, and Byarly seemed to agree. “Here, we brought you food! Eat up!” They handed him a few mushrooms and started cooking the lizards they’d caught, and soon enough they all had a good meal.

Zurin was afraid to bring up the other day, but he wanted to be sure he wasn’t getting a knife in the back, so he carefully approached the subject after a bit of pleasant conversation. “Hmmm, how to say this… well, I want to apologize. For everything.” he said cautiously. Byarly and Leala stared at each other, then at him. “I should have told you sooner about my origins, it was dishonest of me and…” he faltered when Byarly shook her head.

“You saved our lives, Zurin!” Leala said. “Yeah, and you’re our friend!” Byarly added. “I mean, we’re not happy that you made Ghirahim or worked for Demise, but we want to look past that!” Leala put a hand on his shoulder. “Good friends forgive each other, right?”

Zurin smiled and wiped a tear from his eye. “Yes, that is correct. Thank you… both of you!” he said. They hugged, then set about finishing their lunch.

Something occurred to Zurin: it had been a while, but Callia still hadn’t come back. They were still in Eldin, and it could be a dangerous place, so a missing person could have easily run into bokoblins or worse.

“I want to take a look around for Callia,” Zurin told Byarly and Leala. They offered to come, but he refused, as he didn’t want them endangered as well. Reluctantly, they agreed to stay and guard the camp.

Zurin reached out telepathically for any signs of distress or conflict. There were plenty of responses, since bokoblins were constantly harassing animals and mogmas on the mountain, but one particular reply caught his attention. Not far from here, one person was being captured for giving the bokoblins a lot of trouble, and there was no telling what they had in store for them. Even if it wasn’t Callia, Zurin decided helping this person would be a good use of time. He teleported close to the trouble and crept up to see what was happening.

Callia was surrounded by a ring of armed bokoblins and moblins, covered in wounds and clutching her broken sword. They were apparently deciding on how to kill her, but Zurin wasn’t going to wait around and let them make a decision. With both arms working again, he easily summoned a circle of flames that burned the monsters and killed all that didn’t run away. Rather than looking relieved, Callia seemed terrified.

The flames died, and Zuin tried to approach Callia, but she raised her broken weapon at him. “Monster! Get away!” she said, tears running down her face. Zurin held up his hands and stayed where he was.

“I was trying to run away! Why can’t you just leave us alone!?” Callia cried. Zurin put his hands down. “That is understandable- wanting to run away from me, I mean- but your friends?” he chided her. Callia looked at him angrily, but Zurin knew his point had been made.

“Fine, abandoning my friends is scummy, but you know what? They made a mistake forgiving you, and I’m not gonna die because they’re naive!” She spat. “You made Ghirahim… you helped Demise… you betrayed your friends… and…”

Callia stumbled, then collapsed on the ground. Zurin ran forward and found she was unconscious, probably from her injuries. Thankfully, centuries on the surface had taught him to be prepared for things like this, and he hastily retrieved a red potion then began stirring in dried insects to increase its potency. It took a minute for the potion to mix, but when it did he poured it into Callia’s mouth and waited for it to take effect.

A red potion of this magnitude could easily help wounds close and scab over, so it didn’t take long for Callia to regain health and wake up. There was still a phantom of anger on her face, but she didn’t seem as outraged as before.

“Thanks…” she muttered, then got up and looked toward camp. “We need to get back, they’re probably worried about us.” Zurin agreed, and they walked back to the others together.

Upon returning and explaining the situation to their friends, Leala and Byarly fretted over what Callia had done, but got over it fairly quickly. Zurin convinced them it was finally time to head to the Sealed Grounds, so they packed up camp and teleported back to Faron.

Zurin had known the Sealed Temple would be different now, but he’d never suspected to see more hylians there. Even more amazing was the relic the temple housed- the Triforce! Its golden triangles sat shimmering in the hands of the giant statue to the goddess, with Link and Zelda conversing beside it. They hadn’t been noticed yet, but Zurin knew they’d have to get their attention eventually, and stepped forward with the others.

“Ahem!” he cleared his throat loudly as he stepped into view. Link and Zelda looked at him with suspicion before Callia and the others followed him. Upon seeing their classmates, the couple cried out and floated down to them on their sailcloths.

“Callia!? Where did you run off to? You and your friends have been gone for months!” Zelda belabored her friends with questions about their adventure and well-being while Link peered at Zurin. Understandably he hadn’t gotten a warm welcome from either of them, but hopefully his friends would vouch for him.

“Oh! Zelda, this is the man- er, demon- that helped us find you!” Leala said. “Zurin, these are our friends- Link, and Zelda!” she explained, pointing to each of them in turn. Zelda did a polite, slightly forced bow while Link gave a solemn grunt. “It is a pleasure to meet you at last,” Zurin replied humbly, shaking hands with each of them. “I hope to be a valuable emissary for demonkind, as well as a friend of the hylians.”

Link looked like he wanted to say something, but Zelda cut him off. “We would be honored to accept anyone that helps Skyloft!” she exclaimed, then took one of Zurin’s hands in hers. “Consider yourself an ally of our people!”

A strange feeling welled up in Zurin’s heart, akin to a sort of complacency with his life. He’d felt like he was fighting constantly up until this moment, and now he would get to relax and actually enjoy himself. When he asked Zelda about this feeling, she gave him a warm smile. “That is what we call ‘peace,’ Zurin. I hope it lasts you a thousand years!”

Sadly, those thousand years of peace wouldn’t come to pass.

\---

The next few days were spent bringing people from Skyloft to the surface and convincing them to stay. At first only a couple shopkeepers and craftsmen looking for rare materials made the trip, but soon they had enough people to start a village near the Sealed Grounds. The sheikah, after hearing that Zelda would be living on the surface now, pitched in and bolstered the town guard with their numbers and talents.

Speaking of Zelda, Zurin learned that she and Link had not only killed Ghirahim, but thwarted a plot to revive Demise by sealing him permanently. Zurin felt relief that the threat was dealt with, but was admittedly sad that he couldn’t eliminate Ghirahim himself.

Sadly, the day came when Skyloft recalled almost all of its knights back to the city, including Zurin’s friends. Byarly left first when Groose invited her back (they’d become smitten with each other recently), and Leala returned when she was offered a position as captain of the guard. Eventually only Callia remained.

One day, Zurin spotted a Skyloft knight at Callia’s house, talking to her. She seemed upset and dismissed the knight hastily, which seemed out of character for her. Worried something was amiss, Zurin visited her house and knocked on the door, and Callia invited him in curtly.

“What is it?” she asked bluntly, and Zurin was utterly unsure of what to say. He didn’t want to reveal he’d been watching her, but cared too much to just ignore Callia’s dismay. Taking a deep breath, he tried to proceed with caution.

“I feel as if you have been… anxious as of late,” He said. Callia raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. “Your friends have returned to the sky, and I suspect you are feeling lonely.”

Callia let out a forced laugh. “If they want to go back to the sky, then good for them! I don’t have anything waiting for me up there, that’s for sure…” Zurin wasn’t expecting this kind of answer, but he felt strangely kinned with Callia when she spoke about having nowhere to go.

“... a knight summoned me back to Skyloft today,” she admitted. “He said my brothers and sisters missed me, but I called him a liar. I was the worst fighter in the academy and everyone knew it. Why should I go back to them?” she looked down and clenched her fists. “I might as well stay here, alone, and die. It’s better than being alone up there, doing something I don’t have any heart for.”

Callia started shaking, and Zurin truly felt like he’d known her his whole life. Because he, too, had hated what he’d been dealt from birth. He hated being born a demon, he hated betraying everything he’d been told to appreciate, and he hated feeling like an outcast everywhere he went. Callia did as well, to a different extent, and he sincerely felt for her because of that. Zurin felt like he knew exactly what to say.

“You know, I do not have anywhere to go, either.” he told her. Callia looked up, confused. “What do you mean? You can stay here.” she said, but Zurin disagreed. “Not for long. The Sheikah want me to leave- they have weapons to kill demons now, and don’t need my help. I will be run out of town soon…”

“That’s awful!” Callia exclaimed. But then the gravity of her own situation occurred to her, and she faltered. “We are both being exiled, you to Skyloft and I to the wilds.” Zurin told her. “But we can choose our own ending, together.”

Callia’s expression was almost indecipherable to Zurin: it was like fear, anxiety, and hope were vying for control of her emotions. But when Zurin held out his hand, she only paused for a moment to take it. They both smiled and embraced.

“It may not be easy, but we can live comfortably in the wilderness.” Zurin assured Callia, and she agreed. “We did it for months together, what’s there to worry about?” she said cheerily. “I’ll pack what I need, you can go to your house and do the same. I’ll meet you in an hour!”

Zurin nodded in agreement, then left to prepare. Finally, after centuries of solitude, he would have someone to share the world with! Things were going to be better from now on, because he had Callia.

\---

Zurin and Callia had been gone less than a year when Skyloft fell.

People woke up one morning to find their home was slowly falling from the sky. Panic ensued, and people raced to their loftwings, but many were trampled in the confusion. The knights tried to restore order, but the falling accelerated and people started jumping from the rock, colliding with each other as they summoned their birds.

One person knocked Byarly off the edge, and before she could call her loftwing another man collided with her and knocked her unconscious. Nobody knows what happened to Byarly after that.

Leala and the knights finally got everything orderly, and the evacuation was running smoothly for a while before the island started collapsing. The rock cracked at first, then split into pieces that took droves of men and women with it. Everyone tried to remain orderly, but soon it was a rampage again as people jumped for their lives.

Leala ordered the other knights to evacuate, but stayed behind to look for stragglers. Skyloft crumbled before anyone saw her leave, and the pieces fell into Lake Floria. She and Byarly were both counted missing in action.

The news of Skyloft reached the surface quickly, and people soon theorized that the island had run out of magical energy without Zelda there. Groose confirmed that it had been pretty wobbly for a couple days, but assured Zelda and Link that the refusal of Skyloft to report this placed the blame on everyone, not just them alone. When a vigil was planned for the disaster, Zurin and Callia got word and visited to pay their respects.

Zurin felt a tremendous sadness at the disappearance of Leala and Byarly, but couldn’t bring himself to believe they were dead. Callia was not so optimistic, and cried for many days believing that she’d lost two of her best friends. Their coping was different, but in the end they both learned about the fickleness of fate and the cruel hand it often dealt. But what could you do about it?

For a few years they stayed nearby, killing demon lords and their armies before they could reach the hylians. Eventually, though, the city had enough knights and sheikah to fight off any attackers, and Zurin decided it was time to take the fight to his hometown. The demon city would probably be mostly empty, but Zurin and Callia still expected a fight, so they employed a new tactic for their final assault on Demise’s remnant power. They made an army of their own.

Zurin still remembered much of his magic for creating new life thanks to his trials of making Ghirahim, and Callia was clever enough to not only understand the process, but also suggest how to refine his methods. Together, they were able to make several soldiers more than capable of surviving in the demon city’s heat and killing demon lords.

“Everything hinges on these soldiers. They need to be able to take the demon city, then live there as well.” Zurin confirmed to Callia. “If they all die in the assault, or do not prove properly engineered to live down there, the city will collapse and take the surface with it.” After what happened with Skyloft, Callia had theorized that magical races needed their magic to sustain their cities, and Zurin wasn’t going to risk that being true. Therefore, they’d created a race of soldiers with identical magical resonance to demons.

“What are we going to call these things, anyway?” Callia asked. They were looking over a cliff at an army of their species preparing to descend into the demon city. “Hmmm… well, they do live underground…” Zurin pondered, then he thought back to how he’d named Ghirahim with a demon word, and a flash of inspiration hit him.

“Subrosians. A combination of hylian and demon language,” he explained. “It uses the demon word for soldier, ‘rosian,’ and the hylian prefix for below, ‘sub.’ Indicative of the combination of our talents to make a new species.”

“Clever…” Callia replied. “Though I still don’t get why they fight so oddly.”

“That is rhythm-based magic, one of the more natural kinds out there.” Surin explained. “They use the beat of the world to channel tempo, and with that they sing and dance constructs into existence. It can be anything from a slab of granite to a giant fireball. Much more effective than arming them with weapons, and the harmony of the magic will keep them benevolent.”

“Works for me.” Callia replied, and they watched as the subrosians used spells to open a chasm in the earth. They clutched their cloaks and peered into the hole with their huge eyes, then floated down into the abyss before the rock closed behind them. Zurin and Callia’s work was out of their hands now.

They weren’t finished with Eldin Volcano yet, however. “I need to visit an old friend,” Zurin informed Callia. She looked at him strangely, but let him explain. “You may have heard of him: Eldin, the fire dragon. It will not take long, but I can feel he is distressed about something. If you could wait here, I should be back in a day at most.” Callia agreed to the idea, citing that the Subrosians might retreat and show up here, so Zurin took his leave.

\---

When Zurin reached Eldin’s inner chamber, the dragon was sprawled on the raised walkway rather than floating above the magma. Zurin approached cautiously, but Eldin didn’t get up even when he put his hand on him.

“This is the end for me, I am afraid…” Eldin muttered, “The gods have deemed that we are to die, and our magic is waning quickly. I do not have much time remaining…” he lifted his head and gazed at Zurin with great effort. “There is one… final order I have for you.”

Zurin kneeled at Eldin. “Whatever you ask, I shall make it so.” he submitted to him. Eldin cracked a grin and put a hand to his own chest. “Within me is the knowledge and wisdom of a thousand years… that I cannot let go to waste. I command you, preserve my mind in a new vessel so I may perpetuate what I know, for the world’s benefit.”

For a moment Zurin thought about objecting. It was one thing to make a few hundred soldiers or a construct for a spirit, but a primordial god… it just wasn’t feasible. Eldin deciphered his feelings and sighed deeply. “Do not dream of disobedience, Zurin… not now. This is the only chance I have… to persevere. You must!”

Every cell in Zurin’s body was screaming in objection, but slowly, reluctantly, he consented. He felt as if he’d sold his soul to Demise again, but this time, there was no choice to be made. Eldin had him trapped.

Walking up to the dragon, he placed his hand on his chest and reached out to the soul. Eldin moaned and shuddered as Zurin drew out his spirit, but when the operation was done he went still. The soul pulsed in his hand with life.

With his free hand, Zurin began reforming the body to accept its soul again. This way, Eldin would not die again when he re-entered his failing corpse. Zurin couldn’t possibly do the old form of his master justice, and as he sculpted the new appearance he could tell he was making terrible mistakes, but he persisted. Soon enough the vessel was completed, though it filled Zurin with dread to look at it.

This new body was much thinner, but stronger. Whereas Eldin had appeared rotund and jolly, this one looked deprived and wicked, as Zurin couldn’t shape the huge mass he was working with. He’d compensated by trying to make it look intimidating, but had failed there as well, creating a wicked appearance. Once again, he felt like he was making a horrible error, but against better judgment plunged the soul into the body.

When the creature opened its eyes, they seemed malicious and cold. It made a few garbled sounds, then began to speak into Zurin’s mind directly. “Your meddlings were for naught, demon! Eldin is dead, and Volvagia is born! I crave not the memories of this mountain, only blood!” With that, it let out a huge roar and shot past Zurin, escaping out to the crater. Zurin tried to teleport, but it was moving far too fast by riding on hot air currents and harnessing its powerful magic. He needed to get out of here before…

“Callia!” he shouted. Teleporting back to his friend, he barely got a word out before Volvagia burst out of the mountain. “What the hell is going on!?” Callia asked, but there wasn’t any time to explain. Zurin teleported them both to Lanayru as fast as possible.

“I will explain everything soon, but we do not have much time!” Zurin said, and Callia remained quiet as he approached a large goron. “Gorko! Eldin Volcano is in danger! My master has need of your people again!”

Gorko looked at Zurin in surprise. “Ohhh boy, the fire dragon has gotten himself into trouble again? Guess we’d better go fix it! I’ll summon the brothers and their hammer.” he curled into a ball and rolled away, leaving Callia to stare at Zurin angrily.

“What was that all about!?” she asked angrily.

“First, a story,” Zurin told her, “I used to be the agent of Eldin, the fire god who lived in the volcano of the same name. He saved my life, and in return I served him. Earlier, I found him dying of natural causes, and was forced to save him. I failed, and created Volvagia, a dragon formed by Eldin’s malice and rage.”

Callia seemed upset upon hearing his sins, but put them aside for now. “Why would a dragon god have malice and rage?” she asked. Zurin wanted to explain how dragons worked, but barely understood himself. “When a dragon is made, it comes from an element that it embodies. Combine that with their incredible power, and dragons have a lot of reason to be proud and wrathful. Think about what Link told us about Faron; very strong, but very stubborn and dangerous in anger.”

Callia thought back to Link’s story about his travels for a moment, then seemed to understand. “Now, dragons are more complex than other species. Making or changing a dragon takes immense care and skill, which I suspected I did not possess, but there was no other way. Eldin had me bound to his will long ago, and I had to obey.” Zurin explained.

“I don’t really get that, but ok.” Callia replied.

“You’re not angry?” Zurin asked. Callia shook her head. “I mean, this is an awful situation you created, but you had no choice… unless…” she faltered for a moment, but then changed the subject. “Why do we need the Gorons?”

“Ah, they have calmed Eldin down before during his… fits.” Zurin told her. “They use a special hammer for knocking him out, and unlike the mogmas, they can withstand his gouts of fire. I was able to give Volvagia the same weakness.”

Callia accepted Zurin’s strategy, but had one more question apparently. “Why does he call himself Volvagia, not Eldin?” she asked. Zurin wasn’t sure about this either, and merely shrugged. “Sometimes names are just what we decide to call ourselves, I suppose…” he muttered.

\---

It took an entire day for the gorons to mobilize, but thankfully there was a decent force already living on Eldin Volcano fighting Volvagia and keeping him pinned down. They’d been almost entirely wiped out by the time Gorko’s forces got there, but these reinforcements alone were more than enough to trap Volvagia in his crater and knock him out. Zurin and Callia followed the fighting but were little help, and in the end a goron champion wielded the hammer and dealt with Volvagia himself.

“These guys are pretty impressive!” Callia exclaimed after the battle. “Indeed,” Zurin added, “They should make excellent stewards of the mountain. The mogmas have been scared off for good this time, so we cannot count on them to keep the place safe.”

“And that means we don’t have to stay here!” Callia concluded happily. “I was never a fan of this place, no offense.”

“None taken,” Zurin replied, giving the landscape one last look. “We’ll talk with Gorko and his champion, then leave organizing the new tribe to them. After that, I think it would be nice to see the forest again. I hear they are building a hylian city not far from there.”

After helping the gorons organize, Zurin and Callia moved back to the forest. The rumors about a new city were only partially true, as in fact many settlements had cropped up in the more habitable areas of the surface. The one inhabited by Link and Zelda was by far the most successful, but couldn’t bring the other cities under its control. The people of the surface were divided.

Disgusted by their infighting, Zurin and Callia remained outside the political struggles of the hylians for a long time. However, after about 100 years Callia’s age caught up with her, and for reasons Zurin couldn’t understand, she was dying.

“You… knew this day was coming, right?” Callia asked as she lay on a bed in the house they’d built. “I’m only human…” she whispered. Zurin shook his head, tears in his eyes. “I had no idea, I promise! Please, let me help you recover!” he pleaded, but Callia let out a weak laugh. “This is my fate…” she assured him.

Fate… damn it! Why was it so cruel!? Why did it take Byarly and Leala so soon!? Why Callia, the only person who’d understood him!? For a nasty moment, Zurin thought of fixing Callia by transporting her soul. His hand shuddered, anxious to do its magic, but he stopped himself. He refused to take that chance again.

“I’m… happy to have your friendship, in the end.” Callia assured him. She let out one last breath, then just… stopped. “Callia?” Zurin asked, but the girl remained still. “Callia!? CALLIA!” Zurin cried, but it did no good. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, so Zurin closed them. He then picked her up, and carried her to the heart of the forest. There he made a pyre for her with sacred trees and scattered her ashes over Lake Floria, where Skyloft now rested.

This was it. There was no-one left for Zurin now. His family, Eldin, Byarly, Leala, and finally Callia were all gone. The only thing he still had was his vow to protect Volvagia. He would keep that vow, to the bitter end: even as the Unification War blazed the surface, even as Hyrule was established, even as Volvagia’s sleeping corpse terraformed Eldin Volcano into Death Mountain, he persisted.

It was almost here now, the time when thieves would arrive. They would kill Volvagia for good and seal Zurin’s fate. They would plunder the land and redistribute their spoils, the haughty destinies of all great men, into the hands of the weak and poor. They were detestable, yes, but they acted with a greathartedness that Zurin admired.

They were Scoundrels of Virtue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to read the rest of The Scoundrels of Virtue before reading part 3!


	3. Part 3: Epilogue

Dying was not as sudden as Zurin had expected. The immediate halt that he’d seen when Callia stopped breathing made him think that one minute you were alive, and then you were dead the next. However, his own death had been a gradual fade away, like drifting into a deep sleep. And indeed, he did lose awareness for a moment before he came to in a strange place.

At first it was like a shallow pool, but beneath his feet were the submerged ruins of the demon city. Floating below were the corpses of many terrible people he’d known: Ghirahim, Demise, Kazdan, Darius, and other demon and human nemeses. Peering at them gave him unease, so he inspected himself instead and realized that something was… off.

First and foremost, the color of his skin was different. It had a brownness and flush to it, with his veins accented in a couple places by what seemed to be red blood. He couldn’t see his face, but he imagined it had a similar hue to it as well. He’d also noticed that his clothes were more like a human’s, with looser fitting and softer fabric. Was he in someone else’s body?

“Confused?” a voice asked. He turned around to see, of all things, a darknut facing him. The monster took off it’s helmet and shocked Zurin further when a human face was underneath. 

“Yes, that is precisely how I felt!” he exclaimed. “It seems that our goddess is a bit of a conformer. People like ourselves are made human when we die in Hylia’s service. Fascinating, isn’t it?” Zurin gave a slow nod, as he was still speechless in awe of his company’s civility and poise.

“Oh, but I am being so uncouth! Allow me to introduce myself.” he apologized. “I am Skallin, Scoundrel of Virtue and former aide to Kazdan. It seems that we have gained grace in spite of our ignoble origins, thank the gods.”

“Thank the gods indeed!” Zurin agreed, “Speaking of which, are they here?”

Skallin shook his head. “Oh no, this is just your personal limbo in between life and afterlife. You’ll meet with your witness, who will take you to Hylia, and from there… well, I would not care to spoil it!”

Zurin looked around, displeased. He’d certainly made himself an odd limbo, or at least someone had. “I take it you are not my witness?” he asked.

“Correct!” Skallin confirmed, “You probably deduced who that would be already. They will arrive shortly, so I will give you some time to prepare. It was a pleasure meeting you, Zurin, and I look forward to seeing you again!” Skallin faded away, and Zurin was left alone.

He barely had a moment to think about what to say before she was there. Callia appeared suddenly and walked toward him, smiling warmly, then stopped in front of him. She was young again, not the old woman she’d been in death, and was dressed in the same tunic she’d had when they met. Zurin’s eyes began to water as he looked at her again, and she teared up as well.

“It’s been a while…” she whispered, and he broke into tears before embracing her. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever, crying and laughing and talking about how much they’d missed each other, before finally breaking away.

“I don’t understand. How- shouldn’t I be punished for what I did?” Zurin asked. Callia smiled and shook her head. “All that time, and you never figured out the best part of being human, Zurin!” she told him. “People get forgiven for their mistakes, and their good deeds matter more! You did so much to make the world a better place, the bad things you did won’t matter!”

Zurin had no idea what to say. He knew that friends forgave each other, but the idea that people who never knew him were willing to overlook his failures was like a burden lifting from his shoulders.

“You and Skallin wanted to be humans, and your actions showed it, so the goddess wants to reward you!” Callia explained. It was a lot to take in, but this time, his blind faith in Hylia aided him. He truly felt like he’d been not only forgiven, but blessed for his actions as well.

“I just have one more question…” Zurin told Callia. “Endel and the others… is Hyrule safe in their hands?” 

For a moment, Callia seemed concerned, but then her smile returned. “I don’t know, but that’s ok. Because it’s not your responsibility anymore, or mine, or anyone else up here for that matter.” She placed a hand on Zurin’s arm. “Let go, Zurin. You don’t have to fight anymore. Hyrule is in good hands, and you can leave it to Endel and his friends.”

Putting his life behind him was the greatest challenge he’d ever known, but with Callia’s help, Zurin finally moved on. There was nothing else to plan for, no more plots to make. It was only him and Callia now.

An arch appeared in the room, light spilling out from within. Callia took Zurin’s hand and led him to it. “Byarly and Leala want to see you, too. Let’s not keep them waiting!” she said, and Zurin agreed. Feeling that emotion Zelda had called ‘peace’ again, and knowing that this time it would last for many thousand years, Zurin took the first step. Hand in hand, he and Callia walked through the archway and completed his long, incredible journey together.

**Author's Note:**

> The characters Byarly, Leala, and Callia belong to Franne, PrincessCharmingKnight, and BlueFrenchHorn97 respectively. This story takes events from https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8997250/1/Adventure-In-Skyloft which is the origin of the previously mentioned characters. My character, Zurin, is also featured in that story.


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